A Poem for Memorial Day 2011:<\/p>\n
“So I Was a Coffin” by Gerardo Mena<\/p>\n
\u2014For Corporal Kyle Powell, died in my arms, 04 November 2006<\/p>\n
They said you are a spear. So I was a spear.<\/p>\n
I walked around Iraq upright and tall, but the wind blew and I began to lean.<\/p>\n
I leaned into a man, who leaned into a child, who leaned into a city. I walked<\/p>\n
back to them and neatly presented a city of bodies packaged in rows.<\/p>\n
They said no. You are a bad spear.<\/p>\n
They said you are a flag. So I was a flag.<\/p>\n
I climbed to the highest building, in the city that had no bodies, and I smiled<\/p>\n
and waved as hard as I could. I waved too hard and I caught fire and I burned<\/p>\n
down the city, but it had no bodies. They said no. You are a bad flag.<\/p>\n
They said you are a bandage. So I was a bandage.<\/p>\n
I jumped on Kyle’s chest and wrapped my lace arms together around his torso and<\/p>\n
pressed my head to his ribcage and listened to his heartbeat. Then I was full, so<\/p>\n
I let go and wrung myself out.<\/p>\n
And I jumped on Kyle’s chest and wrapped my lace arms together around his torso<\/p>\n
and pressed my head to his ribcage and listened to his heartbeat. Then I was full, so<\/p>\n
I let go and wrung myself out.<\/p>\n
And I jumped on Kyle’s chest and wrapped my lace arms together around his torso<\/p>\n
and pressed my head to his ribcage but there was no heartbeat. They said no. You<\/p>\n
are a bad bandage.<\/p>\n
They said you are a coffin. So I was.<\/p>\n
I found a man. They said he died bravely, or he will. I encompassed him<\/p>\n
in my finished wood, and I shut my lid around us. As they lowered us<\/p>\n
into the ground he made no sound because he had no eyes<\/p>\n
and could not cry. As I buried us in dirt we held our breaths together<\/p>\n
and they said, yes. You are a good coffin.<\/p>\n